Stakeholders push for BCC service charter launch
Stakeholders in human rights issues want Blantyre City Council (BCC) to amend, launch and implement the city’s service charter to ensure accountability in the council’s operations.
The stakeholders, who included National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust, Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre (MHRRC), ward councillors and chiefs, expressed dismay over delay in implementing the charter, which has been there since 2011.
Speaking on Tuesday at a meeting in Blantyre, Nice Trust Blantyre district civic education officer Bowlander Monjeza described the charter as a community empowerment tool that will ensure that the city progresses.
He said: “The charter will promote community participation in the development of the city as it is a five-year plan of services BCC pledges to offer to the people. This will give city residents power to question the council if it fails to implement some of the set projects. This will surely promote accountability on the side of BCC.”
BCC acting director of administration services Alfred Nyengo said the technical committee is looking for funds to orient the councillors and solicit their input before launching the charter considering that they were not there when it was first adopted in 2011.
“As it is now, we cannot implement the draft copy. What we are remaining with is input from our councillors; but before they do so, they need to have a better understanding of it,” he said.
BCC deputy mayor Wild Ndipo called for immediate consultation and orientation of councillors for the quick implementation of the charter.
MHRRC programmes officer Chimwemwe Sakunda said with funding from the European Union (EU) and Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (Osisa), the organisation is ready to fund all programmes aimed at ensuring the immediate implementation of the charter. n
